Zeyad’s early essays were full of optimism, but his writings now detail the impact the daily violence is having on his physical and mental well-being. “I used to think that the media wasn’t reporting the good news from Iraq, but now I think it’s the opposite,” Zeyad says in a phone interview. “You have the deportations, kidnappings and sectarian killings. But you don’t hear about them. All you hear about are the bombings.”

The Journal apparently finds the Iraqi blogs noteworthy now that they have found one demanding more bad news from Iraq.